Bathing apparatus



' (No Model.)

G. W. MoLARTY. BATHING APPARATUS.

No. 567,916. Patented Sept. 15, 1896.

Wzmwzsszs I, I I r 4 UNITED STATES GEORGE 'W. MCL ARTY,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF PALATKA, FLORIDA.

BATHING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,915, dated September 15, 1896.

Application filed March 51896..

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. MOL RTY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Palatka, in the county of Putnam and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bathing Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification;

This invention relates to improvements in bathing apparatus, the object of the same be-' ing to provide a tub or bathing-tank of such configuration that a rocking movement can be imparted to the same by means of a shifting weight which is actuated by the bather, which rocking movement will cause the water therein to swash or flow back and forth, the rear end of the tub being rounded to direct or throw the water upon the bather to give a surf effect, and in connection with such a tub or bathing-tank I employ certain mechanical appliances, operated by the bather for rocking the tub and for providing a moderate physical exercise, such an apparatus being termed a physical-culture bath.

The invention consists in the particular construction of the tub or bathing-tank when combined with the appliances for rocking the same and providing the physical exercise, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings,formin g part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bathing apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention, showing one manner of rocking or oscillating the tank or tub; and Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view showing the preferred form of rocking the tank. I

The tank or tub comprises a curved bottom a, sides a a, and forward end Wall a these parts being connected to each other by solder or in any other suitable manner to provide a water-tight receptacle, (designated by the letter A,) and, if desired, the upper part of said receptacle may be partly housed or decked, as shown in the drawings. The bottom a of Serial No. 581,962. (No model.)

the tank or tub is curved from front to rear, substantially as shown, and at the rear end of the tank the bottom is extended upward and curved more abruptly toward the forward end of said tank, so that when water is placed in the tank and is caused to flow back and forth by the rocking of said tank the upper part of the rear end of the bottom a will curl the water over in the form of a wave or breaker and direct the same over the head and shoulders of the bather, who is seated 7 upon the bottom of the tub. The sides a and a of the tub or tank may be much higher than shown in the drawings, to confine the water entirely within the tub and prevent any possibility of its splashing out.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I have shown the mechanism for operating the tub as consisting of a pair of cords b b, which are attached tub and extend upward therefrom to pass over pulleys or guide-rollers I) 19, secured to a suitable support, as the ceiling of a room, from which the cords depend to be within easy reach of a leather seated within the tub, being preferably provided with handles or grasping portions, as shown in the drawings. By this arrangement, when the bather draws upon the cords b I), he will tilt the forward end of the tub upward, causing the water to flow toward the rear end of the tub, and by slacking or letting out on said cords the tub will be tilted in the opposite direction, and the repetition of this movement will cause the water to flow up the rear portion of the bottom a and curl or splash over upon the bather, giving the efiect hereinbefore stated.

In Fig. 2 I have shown a different manner of rocking the tub, which consists in providing the sides a with longitudinal guide-strips 0, located a suitable distance above the bottom a and running parallel therewith to present channels or ways, in which move the ends of a sliding weight 0, said weight being connected to a cord or cords c,which extends to and around a pulleyor guide-roller 0 secured to the inner side of the end wall a of the tank, and the free end or ends provided with a ring or grasping-handle, as shown. When this operating device is employed to rock the tub or tank A, the said tank is provided with a false-bottom a upon which the at one end to the forward end of the tank or IOO loather sits and rests his feet upon the guidestrips 0 or a cross-bar applied for this purpose.

The device herein shown and described provides a very simple, cheap, and efficient bathing apparatus for the purpose set forth, and one that could be used in hospitals or dwellings to give convalescents or others a bath with a serf effect, and by adding the common sea-salt to the water this effect could be made a little more realistic.

Having thus described my invention, I do not wish to limit myself to the particular construction and arrangement of the parts as shown, but reserve the right to modify such construction within the spirit and scope of my claims.

I claim- 1. The combination with a tub or tank having a curved bottom, substantially as shown, of an appliance for rocking said tank consisting of aweight sliding upon the bottom of the tank, and a cord or cords attached to said weight and extending around suitable guide pulleys or rollers to the bather, for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination with a tank or tub having a curved bottom which is extended upward at its rear end substantially as shown,

of an appliance for rocking said tank consisting of a Weight sliding upon the bottom of the tank, a pulley or guide-roller attached to the forward end of the tank, and a cord or cords attached to the weight and extending around said pulley or guide-roller to the bather, substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination with a tub or tank having a curved bottom which is extended upward at its rear end substantially as shown, of an appliance for rocking said tank consisting of guide-strips c, a weight 0 adapted to slide between said guide-strips and the bottom of the tank, a pulley or guide-roller secured to the forward end of the tank, and a cord or cords attached to the weight and extending around the pulley or guide-roller to the bather; together with a false bottom located above the weight,substantially as shown and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE W. MoLARTY. Vitnesses:

H. WV. FOWLER, JOHN E. MARSHALL. 

